Chapter 1
At 2:27 in the morning, Ji Dongzang was not asleep.
She stood at the window, her fingertips tapping unconsciously on the glass.
The chaos in the streets below was commonplace, but tonight something was different.
A baby's laughter suddenly penetrated the three layers of soundproof glass, so clear and uncomfortably loud, as if it was right next to her ear.
The stray cats in the neighborhood began to howl, each howl sharper than the last.
There was a mixture of indistinguishable noises in the distance, and the usually quiet neighborhood was particularly noisy tonight.
"Who's going out dancing in the middle of the night?"
"Why are you making so much noise in the middle of the night? Can't you let me sleep?"
"Can you be a little more decent?"
“Woof woof woof!!”
"It's so noisy. Whose dog is it? Take care of it!"
There was the sound of a flower pot breaking as it fell to the ground downstairs, and the dazzling beam of a flashlight flickered outside the window, amidst the waves of cursing and dog barking.
Ji Dongzang heard an old lady yelling, "Don't touch my hydrangea! That's my daughter..."
…
The corners of her mouth rose slightly.
Change is always pleasant.
Ji Dongzang turned and walked into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, took out a can of ice cola, skillfully wiped the surface of the can with a wet wipe, and inserted a straw.
The clamor outside continued, intensifying...
"Don't block the way, you old fool."
"What is that?!"
"Beast!"
"Scream, scream, scream! Kill you!"
Returning to the computer, she casually opened her phone.
The screen was suddenly flooded with information.
The owners’ group shows 432 unread messages, and posts on social forums are being refreshed at an alarming rate.
Ji Dongzang casually clicked on a few hot posts:
Emergency! Group brawl breaks out at Changjiang Road subway station
My cockatiel pecked its own eye out!!!
Century Park Koi Leap Out of the Lake, Approaching Humans
Has anyone seen anything moving in the sky?
A few scattered help posts were interspersed among them: "My child said he wants to go homeless and die when his money runs out?" "What should I do?" "What's going on tonight? I saw so many quarrels and disturbing people..." "My dog keeps pacing back and forth in the cage and baring his teeth at me. What should I do?"
But what really dominated the screen was the image of the same strange phenomenon - a huge shadow suspended in the night sky.
Ji Dongzang casually opened a discussion thread and saw a wide variety of comments:
The "Daliyuan Effect"
"Orion's Retribution"
"Don't worry, it's definitely not foreign garbage."
Fallstreak Hole: Supercooled water droplets in cold clouds form circular ice crystal holes due to aircraft disturbance or sudden temperature drop (photo)
"This is the prophecy of Ragnarok, the messenger of the Creator Ω... symbolizing the cycle of life and death and eternity."
"Deduct 1 to help accelerate the doomsday"
"Why worry? Ever since I learned that the earth is going to be destroyed, I feel like I have hope for the future."
"Did anyone see that black shadow?"
"The world is ending! I saw a monster in the southern suburbs!"
After Dongzang was attracted by a post that was gaining popularity, the poster uploaded a blurry video:
Against the backdrop of the night sky, an irregular black shadow moves slowly, and its edges seem to be constantly changing.
Some people in the comments said it was an alien spacecraft, some thought it was a weather balloon, and a user who claimed to be an astronomy enthusiast posted a long comment:
"That's no ordinary object! It's Theia! AS predicted its approach a long time ago, but official data said it would pass safely a million miles from Earth! It shouldn't be this big! It shouldn't be this close!"
"Theia." Ji Dongzang whispered the word.
Another explosion was heard outside the window, and the whole building shook slightly.
Ji Dongzang crushed the empty can of soda, stood up, walked to the window and pushed it open.
The fight downstairs had escalated to the point where people were spraying each other with fire extinguishers, and an older woman in pajamas joined the fray, swinging a frying pan.
The fight was fierce, but no one tried to stop it. More figures rushed into the chaos, and their fists were waiting for an opportunity to swing at others under the cover of chaos.
Ji Dongzang casually threw the empty can towards a figure who was pulling someone's hair.
"I'm going to die!" The man with tattoos on his arms who was hit raised his head and roared angrily.
In the chaotic light, she could clearly see the bulging blood vessels on the man's neck wriggling into a centipede shape.
A large bulge pulsated with the pulse.
She looked away and slammed the window.
…
The sky gradually brightened, but the dark round shadow seemed to have been forgotten, stubbornly remaining on the sky.
The streets fell into an eerie silence.
The expected bloodstains and corpses did not appear, only scattered debris and traces of fighting.
The light red mist flowed silently through the alleys. Ji Dongzang walked in it and felt sticky all over, as if he had just hugged a person who had shed his skin.
But Ji Dongzang did not feel sick, but was extremely excited.
Without showing it on her face, she wandered to the breakfast shop at the entrance of the community.
The boss, Sister Fu, was leaning over the boiling pot, her head leaning down little by little, and it seemed that she was about to be boiled in.
"Sister Fu, are you okay?" Ji Dongzang leaned against the door frame, his voice calm, "Who's in the pot?"
Sister Fu suddenly woke up, raised her head, and had dark circles under her eyes.
"Don't mention it! It was so loud last night, like a war, with all the noise and clattering going on. I didn't sleep a wink the rest of the night!" She waved the colander. "You didn't see it! It was like a million-dollar action movie!"
Ji Dongzang strolled through the neighborhood, hands in his pockets, and encountered a few early-rising neighbors. They were all vividly discussing the night's farce, as if they had witnessed it firsthand. Their opinions on the shadow in the sky were also varied.
She observed calmly.
The man with the centipede tattoo on his arms was nowhere to be seen last night, and no similar "centipede man" was found.
None of the protagonists of the fight last night showed up, and the stray cats in the community also disappeared.
The early risers were few and far between. The elderly women and men who usually did their morning exercises in the park were nowhere to be seen today.
The only person walking the dog was a short-haired girl, holding a droopy-headed Teddy dog, who looked a little familiar.
Ji Dongzang was walking home while swiping his phone.
Didi
Ding Dong
Two messages pop up.
The first is worded calmly and with restraint: “Prefer natural or technological explanations and avoid defaulting to supernatural hypotheses…”
The second post expressed a sense of helplessness and anxiety: "Many reports of unusual animal attacks on humans have been made. The public is urged to remain calm..."
On the fourth day after humans discovered this strange round shadow, it had already been named "Theia".
Observation data shows that this uninvited guest is rushing towards the Earth at an astonishing speed.
Officials are still trying to maintain the shaky order, calling on the public to "remain calm" and using terms such as "Roche limit" to try to soothe people. But these efforts are of little use.
Revenge killings, pets eating people, desperate people committing suicide, and crazy acts under the banner of "liberation"...are happening in many places.
The streets became a frenzied arena of gladiatorial combat.
Cars were hurtling around like out-of-control bumper cars.
Ji Dongzang checked the inventory at home.
There was enough food in the refrigerator to last three days, and there was half a bag of rice and some canned food in the cupboard.
She cooked a bowl of noodles, added three fried eggs, and ate it slowly while sitting at the dining table.
The news anchor was still repeating "stay calm" and "stay home," but obvious commotion and shouting could be heard in the background.
She likes this changing world.
Peacetime is too boring. Everyone lives according to the routine: go to school, go to school, work, work, work, and grow old.
It’s different now. All the rules are being reconstructed and uncertainty is in the air.
After washing the dishes, Ji Dongzang began to pack his backpack.
A few practical clothes, a bottle of water and some high-calorie food.
There is also an axe, which she bought not long ago to decorate the living room.
She didn't know why she did this, but her intuition told her that staying in a high-rise building was not a long-term solution.
As night fell, the power went out.
The city fell into semi-darkness, with only scattered fires and flashlights flickering.
Occasional gunshots and screams pierced the silence.
Ji Dongzang did not light a lamp and sat in the dark.
Her heartbeat was steady and her breathing was even.
It's a talent.
She always takes whatever happens and throws herself into it wholeheartedly, enjoying every moment.
The next morning, Ji Dongzang was awakened by the noise next door.
Not the usual noise of the TV or an argument, but the sound of something heavy being dragged and low whimpers.
Ji Dongzang quietly walked to the door and looked out through the peephole.
The door of the neighbor opposite was ajar, and dark red stains were flowing out from under the door, spreading out in a small patch on the carpet in the corridor.
There were footsteps approaching, and then the figure of Sister Li from next door flashed by.
She is a quiet and polite accountant in her daily life. She always wears a suit and tie when she goes out, and nods politely to the neighbors she meets when she returns home from get off work.
Now she was only wearing a sports vest, her chest and arms were stained with dark red liquid, and in her hands she was dragging——
Ji Dongzang blinked to confirm that he was not mistaken.
Sister Li was dragging a human leg in her hand, wearing sneakers. It might be her boyfriend who lived downstairs from her.
She suddenly stopped and turned to look at Ji Dongzang's door.
Their eyes seemed to meet inside and outside the cat's eye.
Ji Dongzang did not retreat, but moved closer to the door panel and carefully observed his neighbor's eyes.
The whites of his eyes were bloodshot, his pupils dilated, and his face contained a twisted expression of ecstasy and anger.
interesting.
Ji Dongzang thought.
The end of the world brings not only chaos but also madness.
Sister Li dragged her leg back to her home and closed the door.
The moment the lock clicked, Ji Dongzang made a decision.
It's time to leave.
Half an hour later, Ji Dongzang opened the door quietly, carrying a medium-sized backpack filled with necessities.
The corridor was empty, with only vague tearing sounds and humming coming from the opposite door.
The neighbor seemed to be happily doing something horrible.
She met two children huddled in the corner in the stairwell. Seeing Ji Dongzang's calm appearance, they seemed to want to say something, but in the end they just hugged each other tighter.
Walking out of the building, the morning light was dazzling.
The streets were even more chaotic than yesterday, with several fires burning out of control and thick smoke billowing.
A few people were running, but more were hiding in buildings and watching.
Two policemen lay in a pool of blood next to an overturned police car.
Ji Dongzang walked towards a small shopping mall a few blocks away with a clear goal.
She dodged several apparent incidents of violence along the way, and once had to duck into an alley as a group of men armed with steel pipes and clubs rushed by.
He took advantage of the chaos and grabbed an electric baton.
At the entrance of the mall, two crazy people ran out and bumped into Ji Dongzang.
She held an axe in one hand and a picked-up electric baton in the other, and wrestled and pushed the madman who pounced on her in a disorderly manner.
Finally, she hid in the mall. She was kicked several times on the legs and her arm was cut. Fortunately, it was just a skin break and no blood was seen.
The glass doors of the mall had been smashed and the interior had obviously been looted.
Clothes, shoes and hats were scattered all over the floor, and the electronics counter was empty.
Ji Dongzang went directly to the supermarket area in the basement.
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